A STUDIOUS teenager who claimed he was driven to the brink of suicide by classroom bullies has missed lessons for five months because of a wrangle over a new school.

Richard Yates, aged 15, missed school for so long after becoming a victim of a new system to stop "school hopping".

His father claims the boy was branded "a Southern boffin" by two bullies because he was keen to do well in class when he moved to Bolton from Hertfordshire 18 months ago.

Mr Yates decided to pull his son out of school when he threatened to jump off a bridge after his trousers were burned with a soldering iron in class.

GCSE student Richard has not been back to the Withins since last October but still has been given the final offer of a place at a new school.

Mr Yates of Grantchester Way, Breightmet wanted Richard transferred to Hayward School, in Lever Edge Lane, Bolton, but was told he had to join the queue and wait until March for an appointment with the headmaster.

Cancelled

When the long-awaited appointment was cancelled at the last minute, education chiefs told him there might be a place at Little Lever but he still has to go to the formal application process.

Mr Yates is unhappy about his son missing school for so long and said: "They seem to be quite eager to take people to court when they do not send their children to school but my boy has been nagging to go to school and they did not find him one for months.

Hopping

"He's supposed to be taking his GCSEs next year but nobody came near to find out what was happening with his education. When I phoned they just kept saying we should send him back to the Withins."

A local authority spokesman said Richard was a victim of the new system to try and stop school hopping which limits new pupils at Hayward School to five per month.

Priority is given to those with nowhere else to go because they have recently moved to the area or been excluded from another school.

Younger pupils are also higher up the queue than Richard because education chiefs want to discourage children from changing schools during their vital GCSE years.

The spokesman explained: "Hayward is inundated with in-school transfers which is something we and the school are very anxious about.

"Mr Yates was adamant he wanted Hayward, and the school thought they would be able to admit Richard in March. Unfortunately several families moved into the area recently and they need the places.

"Richard has fallen foul of the system. We have offered his parents four other schools and will look at the system again."

Withins Headteacher Val Malcolm pointed out that Richard had not complained about the incident with the soldering iron at the time but a member of staff picked up on it later and disciplined the boys concerned.

She said this showed how bullying is always taken very seriously at the school and staff were disappointed when Richard's parents pulled him out before they had a chance to resolve any problems.

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